New Covenant Ways – BT18:  Study of scripture is a snare, trap, and trap-trigger or stumbling-block with retribution

 

 

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To understand the context of this, read New Covenant Ways – BT17.  Isaiah 28:8’s study “tables” of scripture are a “snare, trap, bait-trigger-stumbling-stone, and pay-back retribution” according to Paul in Romans 11:7-10, because these bible students and teachers (scribes and Pharisees) “failed to obtain what they were seeking . . . so they were hardened, God giving them a spirit of [drunken] stupor, eyes that would not see, ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”  Paul cites Psalms 69:22-23 to explain how:  “Let their table become a snare (a) and a trap (b), a bait-trigger-for-a-snare/trap/stumbling-stone (c) and [finally] a payback-retribution (d) for them: [by] letting their eyes be darkened so that cannot eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know (e) and/coupled their backs completely bent (f) continually.” Cursed!  Paul also says, “He drassomai snares (g) the wise” (h).

 

<Notes> a) pach, pagis:  alluring trick/trap for birds, thus stratagem, device, wile, b) moqesh, Greek thera: an alluring noose-trap for beasts, c) Hebrew missing, skandalon:  bait-trigger for a trap/snare causing it to be sprung, a stumbling-stone, d) antapodosis: recompense, specifically-matched rich reward for services rendered, sometimes positively as in Colossians 3:24, Luke 14:14, Romans 11:35, but also negatively of vengeance: as here and Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30, 2 Thessalonians 1:6.  The NET bible notes says: some prefer to vocalized the Hebrew text as ulyshillumim ‘and for retribution,” e) this is prophetic vision that God promised for ALL of God’s people for the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:34, f) also a metaphor of a captive under a securing, burdening yoke of slavery, but also figuratively of hardness of heart from error, g) drassomai: grasp with the hand, take, entrap, h) 1 Corinthians 3:19 citing Job 5:13.  We see this disdain and hiding of God’s prophetic-revelation from the “wise and understanding one” throughout the NT:  Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21; Romans 1:22, 11:25, 12:16; 1 Corinthians 1:19-20, 25-27, 3:18-20 – see Least Among You – BT3.

 

If you stay at your desk long enough reading and studying scriptures to become “wise and learned/understanding,” like the Jews did bent over their learning “tables,” you will end up permanently bent over, frozen in your stiffness, become hard-hearted (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:14-15), and actually misunderstand so much about God, because you’re blinded from prophetically eido mentally ‘seeing’ to perceive/know  God and what God wants to do in the NOW – no matter how hard you study and how smart you think you have become!  Not only does my back hurt from all this but I’ve had repeated problems with blot clots in my legs from sitting too long and problems in my wrists from typing and using the mouse!  This is simply not God’s way, though it sure seems to be man’s “might and power” WAY of knowing God per Zechariah 4:6!  Another problem with studying OT scriptures is that it’s very easy to lose the forest through the trees, easy to miss The Unconditional-Love of God’s Messiah, when so much of scripture is littered with “If you do this____, then God will conditionally-love you by doing this ____.” Actually 97.4% of the OT is entirely based on God’s conditionally-loving favor that must be earned through obedience to 613 commandments – see Logos Word of God – BT5a!

 

We know Roman 11:9’s  skandalon “bait-trigger-for-a-snare/trap/stumbling-stone” is about the Jews “pursuing a Law that would lead to righteousness based on works, but didn’t succeed . . . because they did not pursue righteousness by trusting-relying-faith – they have stumbled over the proskomma lithos stumbling stone . . . a [Petra massive, bedrock-like] Rock of offense, but whoever has trusting-relying-faith in Him will not be put to shame” (a), where Paul references Isaiah 8:14, 28:16, 49:23, Psalms 118:22, and Joel 2:26-27!  Paul also says, “The gospel logos message of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us . . . the dunamis enabling-power of God, for it is written, ‘I will destroy/thwart the wisdom of the wise ones, and the sunesis rational ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding of the sunetos understanding ones I will hide/conceal’ (b). Where is the wise one, the scribe (c), the debater of this age (d)?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (e). For since . . . the world absolutely did not experientially, relationally ginosko know God through ‘wisdom,’ it pleased God through the ‘folly’ of what we preach to save those who have trusting-relying-faith. . . but we preach Christ crucified, a skandalon bait-trigger-for-a-snare/trap/stumbling-stone to the Jews, and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called [by God], Christ – the dunamis enabling-power and/coupled wisdom of God” (f).

 

<Notes> a) Romans 9:31-33, b) Isaiah 29:14, c) grammateus: not just professional writers or copiers of gramma writings of graphe scripture, but ‘expert’ interpreters and teachers of it, d) Jew and Gentiles prided themselves in all of this, e) Yes, study of scripture for wisdom is just as foolish, f) 1 Corinthians 1:17-24.

 

1 Peter 2:6-8 also cites Isaiah 8:14, 8:14, and Psalms 118:22, saying “they stumble because they disobey the logos message, as they were destined to do.”  But Paul noted in Romans 11:11-14, “their stumbling (ptaio:  stumble, fall, err, sin) . . . through their trespass (paraptoma:  falling away from closeness), salvation has come to the Gentiles so as to make Israel jealous . . . their trespass means riches for the world . . . their failure means riches for the Gentiles. . . . Their rejection means the reconciliation of the world.” Yes, the “wise, understanding, bible students and teachers” of the Jews stumbled over their own graphe scripture, which is their sin, their failure, and their rejection of God’s Teacher, the Christ. The whole point of scripture stood in front of them as Jesus but they rather go back to their bible study!

 

Why did the Jews reject what God was doing right NOW in front of them?  Because they were snared and trapped in what God had done in the past in graphe scripture, snared and trapped by their tables for studying scripture, stuck in their “little here, little there, precept-upon-precept” approach to knowing God – see New Covenant Ways – BT17, stuck in their stoicheion fundamental, abc-like elementary teachings (a) common to all religions striving to ‘climb up to God’ one rule after another, even the Jewish one  approach to pleasing God.  Billy Graham, who just passed away at 99, once said, “Religion is like a vaccine: It gives you a little bit of something like the real thing to keep you from actually getting all of the real thing.” <Notes> a) Hebrews 5:12; Romans 3:2; Acts 7:38; 1 Peter 4:11.

 

But what about the King James Version (KJV) translation of 2 Timothy 2:15 that says: “Spoudazo study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly cutting-straight-along-a-pattern-of the logos message of [singular] Truth.”  Doesn’t this tell ALL Christians to be bible students?  Or at least “serious Christians” and for sure those who want to “serve the Lord?”  After all, haven’t we heard so many pastors tells us this?  No! – see Logos Word of God – BT18 for more details, but here is a summary: “The logos message of [singular] Truth” is actually the gospel of Jesus Christ, The Truth, concerning the only 2 commandments of  trusting-relying-faith and/coupled unconditional-love that Timothy as the “workman” and “man of God” was supposed to be preaching and teaching as Paul trained him to do after being prophetically-called to evangelism. All the more accurate translations rightfully translate spoudazo as “endeavor or be so diligent or zealous that causes you to rush forward,” which has nothing to do with studying the bible. Out of 54 bible translations, 10 (20%) got it absolutely wrong!  Many English bibles can lead your into great error – see Bible Info!

 

Reflection:

  

 

As Christian musicians, so we really want to fall into the same “snare, trap, and bait-trigger stumbling stone” of studying scripture on our “tables” like the Pharisees and scribes did, precept-upon-precept, line upon line?  Do we want to get God’s pay-back for this – bent backs forever, blinded eyes, and deaf ears – so that we can’t eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know God like the prophets do?  Do we also want to miss the forest through the trees – that the scriptures were intended for one thing, for the Jews to come to Jesus?  Do we want the kingdom of God to be kept hidden from us – it will be if we strive the same way they did to become “wise and understanding,” that is through bible study!  Or are we going to embrace the completely-different-in-kind NEW WAY to know God – directly by the Holy Spirit, which is by prophetic rhema words to get “Spirit-kind-of wisdom and understanding?”  Are we going to also get stuck in the “milk” of the stoicheion fundamental, abc-like elementary teachings of scripture or graduate to the “solid food” of discernment by the Holy Spirit – see New Covenant Ways – BT16.  The NT never tells you to study the bible – the so-called “proof texts” don’t even come close to saying this!  Instead, the NT says to have “the anointing of the Holy Spirit that teaches you all things so that you have absolutely in fact no need that any man teach you” – 1 John 2:20, 27.

 

Prayer:

 

 

Thank You Lord for keeping it simple enough for little children and “the least among you” by revealing the secrets of the kingdom to such as these and keeping it hidden from the so-called “wise and understanding” bible students, scholars, Pharisees, and scribes!  We’ll let them have their “snare, trap, bait-trigger, stumbling stone, and God’s payback of bent-backs, blind eyes, and deaf ears forever.”  Instead, we will be Your sheep because we will listen until we hear Your Voice and we will eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know You through prophetic visions and dreams, all by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Praise Your name for teaching us directly to eliminate all the middle men and all the questions that scholars argue constantly about concerning what the actual manuscripts texts are, the reliability of them, the meaning of ancient words, and even what belongs in the bible.  The WAY is no longer gramma writings but the WAY of the Holy Spirit!

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, study of bible writings is a snare or trap with a trip wire with retribution, bible study can harden you like the Jews to blind and deafen you, the repayment for studying the bible is bent backs forever, bible students can become blind to prophetic vision for true knowledge, Peter and Paul talk about how the bible students stumble and fall into their trap, 2 Timothy 2:15 does NOT say to study the bible to show yourself approved